Homemade Blackberry Ice Cream!

We’ve been picking berries for days, now its time for the ultimate summer treat- homemade blackberry ice cream! This is about the only time of year we use that requisite wedding gift, the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, and boy does it come in handy. Here’s a big shoutoutto whomever gave us the gift of instant ice cream almost 14 years ago!

I’ve been making blackberry ice cream since I was a kid. The invasive Himalayan blackberry runs rampant around here, and is truly a part of what make summer so stinking delicious. I would say about 1/4 of my dad’s property is covered in these vines, and I have a hard time watching them go to waste, so we pick almost every day. I’ve experimented with juicing the berries and straining out the seeds, which gives the ice cream a rich, purple, almost wine-like color that is simply to die for. I’ve also taken the whole day to make a custard base, then cool it, then mix in the berries… which is also crazy-yummy. But today, after wrangling the Littles, getting caught up on laundry, and trying to find my after-vacation bearings on the house and garden, I opted for the simplest version- basically berries and cream.

This recipe can be thrown together in 10 minutes, can process during dinner, and be ready for dessert as soon as the plates are cleared. “Eat your kale, then you can have blackberry ice cream!” I know, shameless… but it works so well.

Homemade Blackberry Ice Cream

Start by muddling about 2 cups of freshly picked berries.

Squish the berries down until you have about 1 1/2 cups of berries and juice.
In a another bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt into the milk, then add the cream and vanilla.

Stir in the berry mixture and pour into your Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. Turn it on and let it run for 15-20 minutes.

It might just be the longest 20 minutes of their lives! You will know it is done when the sound changes, it makes a rougher noise.

You will also notice the ice cream has formed and is mounding out the top of the bowl.
Scrape it into a freezer-safe container and let it harden in there for about 2 hours.